Caribbean countries moving toward joint spectrum management

Caribbean Spectrum project

Countries of the eastern Caribbean are working together to promote more efficient use of their wireless communications frequencies, for greater social good.

A new agreement has been drafted to minimize cross-border interference between countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean French territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The new agreement will aid in the roll-out of nationwide 4G mobile broadband telecommunications networks.

The draft agreement was developed at a recent workshop on spectrum management, hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) at the Radisson Grenada last month.

The workshop formed part of a Harmonised Caribbean Spectrum Planning and Management Project that aims to bring the spectrum policies of various Caribbean countries into closer synchronisation.

Participating countries are working together to develop a national frequency allocation table (NFAT) for each country and a regional frequency allocation table (RFAT) for the Caribbean. Among other things, the RFAT will facilitate the adoption of common frequencies and international protocols for disaster management and emergency telecommunications.

Countries are also working to produce a regional strategic plan for spectrum management.

The workshop was intended to build capacity in spectrum management in 14 Caribbean countries, including the OECS, as well as examine approaches for minimizing cross border intereference in wireless communications. It attracted a wide range of stakeholders, including academia, regulators, policy makers, operators and international subject matter experts.

The spectrum harmonisation project is being implemented by the CTU, with technical cooperation support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Compete Caribbean.